'NHS 111 told my dead dad to take paracetamol for Covid - Matt Hancock's testimony is shocking'

Matt Hancock, the disgraced erstwhile wellness secretary, was booed by furious bereaved families astatine the Covid-19 Inquiry pursuing claims the NHS was not overwhelmed during the pandemic

A pistillate who mislaid her dada to Covid during the pandemic aft helium was advised to instrumentality paracetamol slammed Matt Hancock's grounds today.

The disgraced erstwhile wellness caput was booed by furious bereaved families astatine the Covid-19 Inquiry pursuing claims the NHS was not overwhelmed during the pandemic.

He received a hostile reception upon accomplishment earlier helium caused choler among families successful the nationalist assemblage who each held up photos of relatives who died.

During often testy exchanges Mr Hancock was presented with grounds that radical died due to the fact that of a deficiency of NHS unit and immoderate patients were denied lifesaving treatment.

His insistence that “people got treated” and “we did not person a illness successful the system” sparked an aggravated effect from families.

Rivka Gottlieb, whose begetter Michael Gottlieb died aft catching Covid, said: “Dad came down with Covid the time earlier the archetypal lockdown and we were truly frightened due to the fact that of what was happening successful Italy but we couldn’t get aesculapian attention. We called NHS 111 but it was not acceptable for purpose. They work from a publication and told him to instrumentality paracetamol and enactment home. The NHS was overwhelmed due to the fact that radical couldn’t get the attraction they needed. I recovered his grounds shocking. Why did they permission it truthful precocious to summation NHS capacity?”

Elaine Seaton, 77, mislaid her hubby Harvey, said: “We couldn’t get a doc of NHS 111. They were overwhelmed. I deliberation it’s perfectly disgusting.”

Larry Byrne, whose begetter and namesake Larry Byrne died aged 89 aft catching Covid, said: “I don’t cognize what satellite helium was connected if helium doesn’t deliberation the NHS was overwhelmed.”

Mr Hancock told the proceeding that broad Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders during the pandemic were "appalling and unacceptable".

Sioux Vosper’s begetter John Leigh died from Covid aft attending infirmary for a urine corruption and having a DNR placed connected him. Sioux, 59, said: “He makes my humor boil. He keeps saying the NHS ‘didn’t get overwhelmed’. It didn’t get overwhelmed due to the fact that galore aged oregon disabled radical didn’t marque it into ICUs.”

Mandy Phillips, who booed astatine Matt Hancock arsenic helium walked into Dorland House successful London, said she believes helium "should ne'er person been wellness secretary".

The 63-year-old, from Thames Ditton successful Surrey, said "we didn't larn capable from the archetypal (Coronavirus) wave", adding: “I deliberation it is important that we conscionable beryllium there, and successful my case, I volition conscionable beryllium astatine the backmost and glare astatine him basically."

Mr Hancock resigned arsenic wellness caput successful 2021 aft admitting breaching societal distancing guidance aft photos showed him successful a romanticist clasp with workfellow Gina Coladangelo.

The erstwhile I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant agreed nether questioning that the NHS entered the pandemic with debased intensive attraction unit and furniture capableness and galore were already astir full.

He had provided a written connection arguing that astatine nary constituent was intensive attraction capableness exceeded, but that erstwhile an idiosyncratic ICU was afloat past patients were transferred to a antithetic hospital.

Mr Hancock was shown a clip of earlier grounds of a elder medic breaking down successful tears portion recalling his acquisition successful intensive attraction units (ICUs) which were moving retired of assemblage bags.

Calling a interruption successful proceedings, Chair Baroness Heather Hallett said: “I deliberation immoderate radical successful the nationalist assemblage present are experiencing immoderate distress. Could I promote them to question immoderate enactment if they request it.”

Families near bereaved by Covid-19 program to signifier a stunt extracurricular astatine lunchtime laying retired a reddish carpet to protestation astatine “politicians are utilizing the enquiry to support their legacies, portion bereaved families are being excluded from giving evidence”.

James Telfer, spokesperson for Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, whose mum died of Covid 19, said: 'In the aftermath of catastrophic failures contributing to the UK having the 2nd worst decease toll successful Western Europe, Matt Hancock remains much acrophobic astir defending his bequest than helping the UK to marque definite that the hellish scenes which played retired successful our overwhelmed hospitals during the pandemic are never, ever repeated.

“In the look of indisputable grounds that our loved ones were refused attraction due to the fact that of their property oregon disabilities, that broad DNR’s were placed connected patients careless of their carnal capacity, and that the NHS was understaffed and under-resourced to the grade that it could not support the nationalist safe, Matt Hancock defends his assertion that the NHS was ne'er overwhelmed.

“His work was to marque definite that radical were safe, not to rotation cognition of the NHS.”

Mr Hancock had defended the 'Stay Home, Save Lives, Protect the NHS' messaging implemented during the pandemic. Asked by enquiry counsel Jacqueline Carey if helium thought the messaging "struck the close balance" Mr Hancock replied: "Yes."

"We needed to guarantee that the nationalist crossed the full of the UK understood the value of staying astatine location whenever imaginable successful bid to halt the dispersed of the virus," helium added.

"The 'Protect the NHS' constituent was important for 2 reasons. The archetypal is that it was a motivating origin to promote radical to travel that proposal due to the fact that content successful the NHS and enactment for the NHS is 1 of the strongest things that holds this state together.

"And the 2nd crushed is due to the fact that it was virtually existent that if we didn't halt the dispersed of the virus, past the NHS would beryllium overwhelmed, by which, I mean, the strategy arsenic a full would person been incapable to header with the request connected it, arsenic we'd seen successful different countries similar Italy."